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OAKLEY CLIFTON IS NOT A KOOK. Though she lives like one. Life out in the Outer Banks always forces you to put a tag on yourself before you even begin to understand where you're standing. Some are born into the Kook life, out in the wealthy suburbs, in big houses with luxurious views and even more luxurious owners. And others are jailed into the Pogue life— out living life in the comfort of the minimum, searching for existence's true beauty in the simplicity of the basic needs for human survival.
And some others, like Kiara Carrera and Oakley Clifton, are born into a mid-Kook, mid-Pogue family and have to pick a side to base the rest of their lives on. Coincidentally, the two girls have ended up picking the same path, and their names are known on the islands because of their. . . could be called stupid decision. But do they regret it? Not one bit. Would they leave the Pogue life?
Not even when death does them apart.
The Clifton family lives near the Carrera's, further away from the chaos of town, but close enough to hear the fresh news. Now, many respect the family of the girl, given the fact Arthur Clifton works as a praised lawyer and Beatrice Clifton is one of Outer Banks' most well-known painters— her fame even reaching the far lands of Europe and other places around America as a whole continent.
After the successful couple that make the two come the children, starting with the eldest, the twins, Stella and Rowan. Born in the lands of Poland in 2001, the twins came into the Outer Banks at the age of 3 already a famous duo. Not only because of their parents' fast and strong fame around the island but because of the casualty that were multiples in the small town where they lived. The kids were never a stressful buzz in the wind, but a relief upon their family's shoulders instead. They inherited the Pogue side regarding their style, but a certain Kook side when it came to their personalities, and it showed just by the way they always displayed the neatest manners and the most spoiled attitudes even until today. In Mommy and Daddy's eyes, the twins were ideal.
Right after Oakley came Jackson. Born in 2007, earning the title of the youngest of the family. The boy was welcomed into the Clifton household with nerves after the train wreck that had been his older sister, but it was a matter of time until the island found the angel that existed behind the blonde boy with big chocolate eyes. It's safe to say the entirety of Outer Banks has a soft spot for Jackson Clifton, the child as sweet as honey and as polite as an old man. Oakley wants to believe the boy's a Pogue by the way he dresses and looks up to her and the others, but she leaves it up to time whether her little brother will pick the right path or not.
Overall, the Clifton family remains a respected topic when spoken around town.
But when it comes to Oakley herself? Ah, the girl's the island's biggest troublemaker, and it, well. . . kind of breaks the family record.
"Oakley! Oakley get back here!"
The girl soars through the halls of her house, a wide grin spreads across her lips as she rushes away from her father's grasp, sliding on her shoes as she stumbles to turn a harsh corner. The house has burst into chaos ever since the girl with the million bracelets, necklaces and rings all around escaped her confinement in her room, barely managing to put on her hat before she was being chased down by her jail guard— her father.
"Sorry, dad! I'm already late!" she chuckles as she jumps onto the staircase's railing, sliding down and simultaneously adjusting the red hat backward on her head as she gets down and jumps to her feet.
As soon as her Vans hit the ground, she takes off into a sprint, running through the kitchen and finding a head of blonde locks sitting on the island, he jerks his head around at the commotion that enters the room and smiles humorously at his sister's antics as she quickly ruffles his hair.
"Hey Bug, hand me that lighter will ya'?" the girl slows down just a bit as she begins to back away towards the glass doors that lead to the house's rectangular dock, impatiently extending her hands out.
The young boy grabs the lighter and tosses it over to his sister, chuckling as he hears their dad rushing through the halls upstairs. Oakley's ice-colored eyes look from the staircase to her brother and she pulls her lips down at the trouble that will come as soon as she leaves the house, but instead of backing down, she just winks at her little brother and looks back at the stairs that extend upstairs.
"Bali come on boy! Speed it up!" she calls out loudly.
Suddenly, stomping down the halls comes a giant animal by the name of Bali. His long, tall legs run down the halls and overpass the man that once was before him, making him grumble as he watches him sprint down the stairs. Arthur gives up in midst of his way down the stairs and watches with a heaving chest and a hand to his head as the Great Dane flashes for his best friend, reaching the girl as the two vandals speed for the smaller white boat on the ocean. He rubs his hairline in distress and closes his eyes, shaking his head.
"Sorry, Daddy! I'll be back for dinner I promise!" the girl lies, smiling widely as the wind blows her brownish-gold hair behind her back, her locks stiff from the salt that remained in her head from spending the day surfing.
"You better, Oakley Moon!"
The girl laughs loudly as she turns the wheel of the boat and takes off into the green-surrounded pathways of the ocean. Bali's tongue is out as he lays in the bow of the ship, his eyes relaxed into slits as he watches the scenery before him and loosens at the low humming of the engine. The sun is just ready to set, giving the Outer Banks a beautiful pastel yellow glow and a foreign serenity, marking the clock precisely in time for a Pogue reunion out on the outskirts.
That's where the girl heads as she stands behind the boat's rudder, wind blowing on her freckled face, red already pooling on her cheekbones due to her strange skin condition and a natural golden tan coloring her skin— a tan that always paints her skin and will never leave as long as she lives in the sunny islands of North Carolina.
After a few minutes of sailing, she can see a familiar group of four losers hanging in the ongoing construction center. An old house a couple had bought back in 2018 but never finished the payments for the construction was being reconstructed and was often unattended, leaving it in the dust, and giving the Pogues a perfect hanging spot.
The grumbling of her engine catches the attention of the group, making them turn to find the grinning girl with the old-jeweled body. Cloth bracelets going up to just before her elbows, handmade anklets, bead necklaces, golden earrings, golden rings— her beloved wooden cross necklace. It all makes the girl very. . . her. And the Pogues love it. The Pogues love her— they love each other.
"You're late," Pope informs as the girl stops the boat right next to the house's dock, rolling her eyes as she turns off the engine.
"I figured you'd mention it," she shrugs.
JJ whistles Bali over, making the giant brown dog trudge towards him as he rubs his head lovingly, playing roughly with the pup as he grumbles playfully and pretends to tackle the large animal. Oakley watches the blonde play with the pup with a soft smile as she steps off the boat and hugs Kie's shoulder, pulling her closer.
"What? No beer for the late-comer?" She asks, narrowing her eyes at the ones down on the ground.
"That should be a new rule, you know, we should stop saving you a beer if you come so late—"
"Oh, come on Pope!—"
"I'm just saying!—"
The two bicker playfully as the dark-skinned boy grabs a beer from the cooler and throws it to the girl. She grabs it in the air and looks up at John B.
"Hey, Brave! Mind to get down here and talk like a normal person?"
JJ jumps up onto the scaffolding, sitting with his legs and hands dangling over a metal railing from the construction. Right below him lays Bali, enjoying the company.
"Yeah, can you please not. . . kill yourself?" Kie adds, looking up with squinted eyes as she holds a hand above her eyes.
"Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one," JJ says from down on the dock, making Oakley chuckle and pull away from Kiara to head next to him.
"Woah!—"
Suddenly, John B's can of beer comes flying down from the roof and smashes onto the ground right before her feet, nearly crashing on the top of her head.
"Shit-" John B mutters sarcastically, clearly doing the thing on purpose to tease JJ, "Ugh," he complains as he extends his hands out to the smashed can on the ground.
Oakley's eyebrows furrow and she steps back, her jaw slack in offense, "What the fuck, John B?! You could've killed me!"
"Sorry Red, be more careful next time!" He jokes and she scoffs.
"You know what, the next beer is going straight to your head—"
"Of course you did, like right when I told you—"
Both JJ and Oakley begin complaining jokingly as clapping comes from the blonde sitting on the upper surface, Kiara's laughter joins in as she mutters lighthearted insults under her breath. Oakley laughs along as she lightly punches JJ's arm and climbs next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as he rests his head on hers.
"Hey, uh, security's here." Pope suddenly announces as he leans over the railing of the balcony, tapping on the wood, making Oakley groan audibly, "Let's wrap it up,"
"Boys are early today," JJ acknowledges as he turns his head up towards John B.
Sliding her arm off JJ's shoulders, Oakley hurries the boy down by lightly shoving him off the scaffolding, jumping right after him. She climbs down the stairs and jumps the last level to the ground.
"Humpty Dumpty, let's roll!"
JJ lets out an eager squeal as Oakley pats Bali's butt, signaling the dog to get up and follow after them. The girl runs towards John B, helping him down by standing on her tiptoes and holding his hand.
"Let's go, guys," Kiara bites her bottom lip with a grin.
"Gary is that you?"
Oakley giggles as she grabs two cans of beer and puts them inside her high-neck white top— one on each boob.
"Get down,"
"It's me,"
"Gary good to see you, man!"
The boys joke around nonsense, making the girls giggle as they rush around the dock. John B jumps down from the platform.
"Is it time?"
"Yeah you're just asking for it," Kiara laughs as the squad unites and takes off away from the house.
Squeals and celebrations echo around the house as the Pogues run away from the scene, giggling and shoving each other around. They stumble and tumble and fall and stand, running for their lives as they escape— yet again— from the claws of the police. The vandals cry out in laughter as they scurry away from recognition, Bali following behind them like a criminal himself.
"They're going out front!"
They finally exit the building out the backyard, rushing through the garden towards the gate that would grant them their freedom.
"Go, Pope! Go! Go, go, go, go, go, go!" JJ insists as they all hurry behind Pope, jumping over the fence.
Oakley stays behind waiting on her giant pup as the others scurry to get to the van, she glances from the running dog with the police trailing behind to her best friends calling for her in a mix of worry and amusement.
"Come on Tough Guy, come on!" she hurries the dog as he finally reaches her, and she runs for the fence, kicking the gate and allowing them to smoothly run out the backyard before closing it again behind her.
She notices them all already inside the van, waiting for her as she sprints towards them with a troublesome grin on her face.
"Come on, Oak!" they all cheer her on.
Arriving towards the vehicle, the girl points the dog forward, patting him in the back as he jumps inside the van and she jumps right after, collapsing against the seat as Kiara whoo's and slides the door shut— the car already a-going, causing the door to reopen. She squeezes next to JJ and in front of Pope, panting as she looks out the open car door to see Gary chasing after them desperately.
"Hey! Hey, hey!" he calls out and the kids laugh inside.
"Check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise," John B jokes, making JJ and Oakley peek out the door with amused grins.
"Wait, slow down, slow down,"
JJ sticks his whole body out the door.
"You're gonna give him a heart attack," Kiara says sympathetically.
"He's almost given me one more than half a million times," Oakley defends as she peeks behind JJ, a hand on his shoulder.
"You're so close! You can do it—" the blonde teases the poor man, suddenly throwing a beer toward him, hitting him in the forehead, "There you go," JJ groans with a laugh, "They don't pay you enough, bro,"
Oakley giggles as she holds Bali back by the collar as he, too, peeks out the door, barking loudly.
"JJ stop. Stop," Kiara pulls the boy back, giving him a look.
"Oh, come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished," JJ defends himself as Oakley pulls herself back inside the van and pushes the dog forward to the trunk.
"Gary as a whole begs to be punished," Oakley corrects, causing a collective laugh.
"Hey Oak, why didn't you catch the boat?" John B asks from his place on the wheel and the girl shrugs mindlessly as she pushes Bali's butt onto the trunk, giving more space for the four that sat in the back.
"I 'on know, I guess I needed a little adrenaline," she says truthfully, readjusting the cap on her head.
"What are you gonna do about the boat?" Pope asks, making her look at him.
"Get it back later today," she smiles, making everyone shake their heads as they laugh their speeding way through the roads.
Oakley leans her body out the open window and lets the wind tousle her hair around as she enjoys the smell of salt and sand and the heat of the summertime. The rays burn softly on her skin and the soft glow of the afternoon sun burns on her skin and illuminates her natural glow. The red on her cheeks intensifies and her freckles become even more prominent with the natural lighting, granting the girl a natural beauty she receives mostly in the months of summer and offering her a deep feeling of glee as the car of five rolls through the smooth roads.
And as they ride, they enter the beautiful roads of their paradise— their home.
The Outer Banks.
"Well my left hand's free," Oakley sings as she taps her fingers against the door, bobbing her head as her right hand rubs Bali's head— which is right next to hers, drooling all over the seat.
"Oh, Red! Control your beast, he's drooling all over the new seats!" JJ complains as Kiara and Pope's attention is caught.
Oakley looks at the dog and then down at the drool-covered seat, her face twisting in annoyance.
"Oh come on! We haven't changed these seats in years!" She gestures her hand out.
"Yeah but I cleaned them yesterday," JJ complains and Oakley shoves him, making him shover her back playfully as laughter erupts on the backseat again.
The car drives through the rich side of the Outer Banks, striding in front of the golfing land, the Kook houses, and even some infamous Kooks playing on their golden field. Large houses with beautiful front yards and long docks welcome them into their property— they even pass Oakley's house, hiding her down under the window as her mother stood out on the porch. But it isn't until they leave Kook land that they reach their home, and god it feels amazing to enter their true dig.
The first thing they do as soon as they get off the van at their lovely home is jump onto the boat and lounge around lazily. Bali rests at their cottage as the group sits around the boat, Oakley lays on the stern, her arm behind her head and the other hanging from the vehicle, her fingers barely grazing the water. Dark shades cover her shut eyes and her chest slowly rises and falls with her steady breathing.
Oblivious due to her sleeping state, the girl doesn't sense the sudden attack of the Pogues as they throw themselves on top of her body, crushing her lungs and limbs as she groans loudly in pain. The rest cheer and laugh as they squash their best friend, Kiara on top of the pyramid almost falling to the water before Oakley rolls over and causes them all to fall inside the boat with laughter still etching onto their lips.
The girl gasps for air as she slumps, growing limp as she hangs from the boat's elevated stern.
"I couldn't. . . breathe," she breathes, making them laugh.
Eventually, clothes come off and the group sits around in their trunks and bikinis. Enjoying the remainder of the day with blunts between their fingers, caps on backward, and sunglasses on their heads. Pope sits against the console, a brown bucket hat on his head and a book in his hands. Kiara lays on the mats on the bow of the boat, lazily playing on her phone. Oakley and JJ stay in the back, smoking a blunt as they play around by passing the smoke to each other. All while John B pulls up the ned of fish they'd thrown out, throwing it down as many fish fall from the ned.
"Nice haul, dude. Look at that," JJ taps Oak's shoulder and points at the fish.
He takes a hit of the blunt and throws it to the ocean, making Oakley smack his shoulder.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to throw out the last hit, JJ?"
"Ow,"
"Been all bait for, like, three weeks," John B crouches in front of the fish, throwing a fish at Pope.
"Gross,"
When they take off, JJ insists on driving, and so they all let him do his thing, enjoying him have a nice time handling the wheel.
That's where the introductions start, from John B's point of view, clearly.
"That's JJ, my best friend since the third grade. He's about as local as they come, latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Best surfer I know. Just don't tell him I said that, and definitely don't tell Oakley,"
Oakley enters the cabin of the boat and plops down on the passenger seat, a cigarette between her fingers. JJ merely glances at her and snatches the cigar from her grip, making her furrow her eyebrows and sit up.
"Hey!"
"Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat,"
Oakley rolls her eyes and exits the cabin, making her way to the stern of the boat and throwing herself onto the mat next to Kiara.
"And that's Kiara, or Kie, as we call her. When she's not saving turtles or listening to Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs out with us. I'm not really sure why, though. Oakley kinda got her into us when we were kids, their parents are good friends. If it weren't for Oakley I doubt a rich girl like Kiara would've ended up with an erred-in-raising crew like ours,"
John B obnoxiously burps from his place on the boat's roof, making the girls grimace in distaste.
"So, she's a rich kid, actually. Foot in both worlds, like Oak, but we'll get to her later. Her family owns The Wreck, this Outer Banks institution. Total cash cow with the tourists. You know I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us. We all. . . sorta have a thing for her. At least most of us,"
"Hey Pope, what does 'absquatulate' mean?" Oakley suddenly looks up from a random book she found tossed inside the boat, looking at Pope as he strays his gaze from his own book.
"To leave somewhere abruptly. Likes us two hours ago. Why?"
"No reason. This book just has a hell of a vocabulary and no one here apart from you is smart enough to actually decipher these words' meanings,"
Everyone shoots the girl a look, making her shrug her shoulders carelessly as Pope chuckles and shakes his head.
"And that's Pope, the brains of the operation, finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person I know. His father's this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island Heyward could get for you. Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. He was a Pogue, just like the rest of us,"
Oakley and Kiara sit at the edge of the boat, their feet dangling as their toes graze the fresh water. The sun has already lowered enough to make the day an orange hue and decorate the sky with oranges and yellows. The wind has intensified the slightest bit, blowing on the girls' wet hair and refreshing their burnt faces.
"You're not putting on your cream, Dots. You're gonna get skin cancer if you keep this up," JJ scolds the girl and she swivels around, about to lecture him ferociously.
"And finally, that's Oakley. But we don't usually call her that. Her nicknames range from Cherry, Red, Oakie, Oak, Oaks, and Dots. She suffers from a weird skin condition called Rosacea, which basically makes her cheeks red all the time, which explains the nickname. She's the doughty one of the crew, stubborn as a mule and as hotheaded as oneself— we tend to blame it on her Polish father's heritage, but it makes her angrier,"
"That's not funny, JJ! Why do you even assume things, do you live with me? I put on that damn cream every single day— Fun fact, it burns my skin, you know? It hurts! You have no idea what I go through every night putting that fu-"
"Just like Kiara, she balances between Pogue and Kook life, although her family isn't a fan of the side she chose. Much less a fan of us— except from her mother, Bea; She's been caring for all of us since we were children— same problem as Kiara, except everyone's either had a crush on Oakley at some point in their lives or still does. Oak is probably the funniest one on the squad, never a dull moment with her around. She's also quite needy, perhaps because her parents are always too busy to spend time with her. Her dad's quite the successful lawyer around here, her mom's a famous painter, and for the short amount of times Oakley spends at home, she mostly spends it alone with her siblings. The twins and Bug."
The others laugh at her scolds, which makes her grow angrier as she carries her legs back into the boat and jumps to her feet, chasing after JJ as he takes into a sprint, screams and laughs mixing as he yelps.
"Also, one thing you need to know about Oakley is she never goes anywhere without Bali. You probably already figured, but they're inseparable, the human epitome of the phrase 'dogs are a man's best friend'. Oakley adores that dog just as much as she adores us, and for the last 15 years of her life, she's made it clear on which side of the island she belongs,"
Once she catches JJ, the skinny girl tackles him as she jumps onto his back, laughing as she ruffles his hair and he hunches, holding onto her legs as her weight feels like a feather on his back. He playfully runs in circles around the boat, making her squeal in fear of falling. Eventually, he stops running as the five gather at the bow of the boat, watching the sunset as they hug each other lovingly.
"So, that's my crew,"
As they finally arrive at John B's when the night settles, they all take showers and gather around the bonfire. Barefoot, with wet hair adorned by a turquoise bandanna, one of John B's warm white sweatshirts and biker shorts on, Oakley lays on the hammock with her arm hanging as Bali lays right beneath her, enjoying the scratching on the side of his stomach. The girl's face burns from the sunburn and the condition in her skin, but it doesn't bother her anymore, much less when she's so utterly exhausted.
Everyone lays or sits around lazily, Pope lays against the tree, John B lays on the grass, JJ sits with a beer in hand and Kie lays with her head on Bali's stomach, her knees bent. The fire cracks and dances, emitting a comforting warmth to each of them— the tranquility of nature itself making them all drowsy and drained.
"I really don't wanna go home," Oak speaks lowly, her voice tired.
John B hums in acknowledgment, "Yeah, sucks to be a Kook,"
Raising her head in genuine offense, Oakley furrows her eyebrows and gapes at the boy.
"I really hope you're joking, John B," she warns and he chuckles.
"I am, I am. My place is your place,"
Laying back down, Oakley adjusts her head on top of her arm and looks up at the starry sky, eyes glimmering. That's what Big John used to say to her.
"Yeah. . . though we should really get an air fryer I swear it'll be fun I-"
"We're not getting an air fryer, Oak," Pope interrupts her rant and she pouts in discouragement.
Sighing tiredly, Oakley closes her eyes for a short second and opens them again, blinking back the debility in her body. She finally gives up, rolling onto her side, facing the bonfire where all the friends sit like zombies.
That's usually how the nights on the outskirts of the Outer Banks end. In pure, raw bliss.
"Alright, I'm clocking out. Night fam,"
"Yeah,"
"Me too,"
"Night everyone,"